Final answer:
China was not a major participant in the Age of Exploration when compared to Portugal, Spain, and England. While Portugal and Spain were leading the way in Atlantic exploration and colonization, China did not engage in the same level of overseas expansion during this period.
Step-by-step explanation:
The country that was not a major participant in the Age of Exploration as compared to Portugal, Spain, and England was China. During this period, Portugal initiated the era of Atlantic exploration, becoming a leader of the European Age of Discovery, in part due to advancements like the compass, the astrolabe, and the caravel. The country established trading posts along the West African coast and in India. Moreover, Portugal and Spain's competition over exploration and colonial expansion was mitigated by the Treaty of Tordesillas and the Treaty of Zaragosa, which divided the Earth into two zones of influence.
Spain played a significant role in the Age of Exploration, particularly after Christopher Columbus's voyage in 1492, which led to the establishment of the first colonies in the Americas. England began to exert more influence in the seventeenth century following internal conflicts such as the Protestant Reformation. Meanwhile, in Asia, China experienced its own form of exploration during the Ming dynasty with the voyages of Zheng He. However, China did not continue this trajectory of overseas exploration and expansion during the European Age of Discovery. Hence, the answer to the question is 'c) China'.